A learner’s passport will now be issued to every newborn in Dubai to track their educational journey and help parents make informed decisions about their children’s education, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) announced on Wednesday during the presentation of ‘Education Strategy 2033’.
The system will be implemented in collaboration with Dubai Health Authority.
KHDA Director-General Aisha Miran said: “The Learning Passport aims to guarantee every child’s right to education. It will register children of mandatory school age and monitor them to ensure they enrol in schools, ensuring no child is deprived of education. The system will identify children of compulsory education age who have not yet enrolled in school, prompting immediate action to guarantee their education.”
Miran further explained: “The Learning Passport is primarily aimed at ensuring every child’s right to education; we want to know about all the children in Dubai to ensure they are enrolled in the educational system.”
“When a child is born, they are entered into the system so that we clearly understand the educational stages available. And we provide information about the nurseries available,” she added.
Miran noted the enrolment rate of Emirati children in early childhood centres is below the global average, which affects their growth and academic achievement. “Scientific studies have proven that 90 per cent of a child’s brain develops from zero to five, making this a critical growth stage that impacts their future academic performance,” she highlighted.
Additionally, the Learning Passport seeks to provide comprehensive information to parents regarding the available educational options, helping them make informed decisions about their children’s education.
Education goals 2033
Miran highlighted the practical steps to implement the new education strategy.
- Raising awareness among parents: The ministry will educate parents on their roles and provide information on educational options, including academic and vocational pathways.
- Developing teachers: The focus will be on enhancing teachers’ skills and training them with modern methods to improve education quality.
- Providing diverse educational options: Multiple educational options, including vocational education, will help students choose paths that fit labour market needs.
- Early field training programmes: Students will participate in early field training to understand the labour market and gain practical experience.
- Assessing students’ needs: Individual assessments will identify students requiring support, leading to tailored educational plans.
- Promoting Arabic language and cultural identity: The strategy will enhance Arabic language skills and cultural identity to preserve heritage in a diverse society.
- Collaboration with various educational stakeholders, including universities and private schools, to achieve strategy goals.
- Nationalising the teaching profession and increasing the percentage of Emirati teachers by 10 per cent which is about 3,000 Emirati teachers.
The strategy will also focus on enhancing the use of the Arabic language among children, as many tend to speak English, which has resulted in a decline in their Arabic language skills.
Additionally, there is a pressing need to improve the academic performance of Emirati students, as their performance has been observed to be lower than that of non-Emirati students.
Addressing the rising school fees is another significant challenge families face, affecting their access to high-quality education.
Collective effort
Miran likewise stressed the importance of collective effort. This means engaging parents as partners in the educational process through awareness and empowerment programs that assist them in supporting their children’s educational journeys.
Dubai’s educational system has significantly developed since 2005, when the KHDA began restructuring, leading to remarkable progress on a global level. The number of schools in Dubai increased from 136 in 2007 to more than 220 today, accommodating more than 32,500 students in private education.
Miran reiterated: “The ‘Education Strategy 2033’ aims to improve the quality of education to meet the needs of Dubai’s diverse community. Evaluations from the school monitoring authority indicated that 81 per cent of students in private schools receive a good or higher standard of education, compared to only 30 per cent in 2007.”
